Thermopile and pilot burner



Jan. 17, 1950 w. R. RAY

THERMOPILE AND PILOT BURNER Original Filed April 4, 1939 INVENTOR,

[VIM/AM 19. 84 Y.

i A TTORNE Y.

Patented Jan. 17, 1950 THERMOPILE AND PILOT BURNER William It. Ray, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to General Controls (30., a corporation Original application April 4, 1939, Serial No. 265,974, now Patent No. 2,374,701, dated May 1, 1945. Divided and this application April 16, 1945, Serial No. 588,453

Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in ther.. moelectric generating devices; the present application being a division of my copending application Serial No. 265.974, filed April 4, 1939; now Patent No. 2,374,701, issued May 1, 1945.

An object of the invention is the provision, in a thermoelectnc generating device, of novel and efiective means for heating the hot junctions thereof.

Another object is the provision, in a thermoelectric generating device, of an efficient arrangement of a plurality of hot junctions and means for heating the same.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be found in the description, the drawing, and the claims; and, for full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following detailed description and accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side-elevational view, actual size, of a thermoelectric generating device embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged back-elevational view of the device shown in Fig. 1, the tubular housing being cut away to show the arrangement of the thermocouple wires and connections;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

I Figure 4 is a plan view of the device of Figs. 1, 2 and 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 55 of Fig. l; and

Figure 6 is asectional view taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

In the drawing, the numeral 20 denotes a burner base-member threadedly receiving a gas supply conduit 2| and a member 22 having a restricted orifice 23. Communicating with said orifice is a bore 24, threaded at its upper end to receive the lower end portion of a hollow flanged member 25, and having air inlet openings 26. A mounting bracket 21 for the device is secured between members 20 and 25, a spacer 28 being interposed between the bracket and the base memher.

A burner tube 29, communicating with the gas and air inlets, is received at its lower end in the bore of member and carries on its upper end portion a cylindrical member 30, preferably of molded ceramic material, which is held in spaced relation to the upper surface of member 25 by a lower tube 3|, ceramic washer 32 and upper tube 33. The tubes 3| and 33 are preferably of mica so that they then also serve to electrically insulate the outer wall of burner tube 29. The upper 2 and lower ends of tube 29 are flared to hold together the structure just described.

The member 32 is provided with openings 34, and the member with similar openings, to receive pairs of thermocouple wires 35 which surround the tube 29. The wires of each pair are of thermoelectrically dissimilar metals, such as, for example, "Chromel" and Copel, and the pairs are connected together in series to form a thermopile having hot junctions 36 and cold junctions 31. External electrical connecting means for the thermopile is provided by a cable 38.

The lower, or cold junction, end portions are twisted together and welded and the upper, or hot junction, end portions are arranged in parallel abutting relation and are welded at their tips. As is more clearly shown in Fig. 5. the wires of the hot junctions are disposed in radial alignment with respect to the tube 29 for conservation of space and increase of heating efiiciency. Each hot junction is provided with a protective sleeve 39 of heat-resistant metal.

Carried by the hot-junction portions of the thermocouples is an inverted conical member 40 of ceramic, or other suitable heat-resistant, ma-

terial which serves to spread the flame of the gas issuing from tube 29 between the surrounding hot junctions to efiiciently heat the same. When the device is employed n association with gas heating apparatus, it may be mounted with respect to the heating apparatus main burner so that the couple-heating flame also serves to ignite the main burner.

A wire M, welded to the tip of one of the hot junctions, is bent over the top of the flamespreading member to hold the same in position. A protective tubular housing 42 for the lower end portions of the thermocouples is carried by the reduced inner portions of members 25 and 30. A member 43, secured by screws to the bracket 21, and having an opening conforming with the hexagonal outer surface of base member 20, serves to prevent accidental movement of the same with respect to the device in installation.

The embodiment of my invention herein shown and described is obviously susceptible of modification without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I intend therefore to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a thermoelectric generating device: a thermopile comprising a plurality of pairs of thermocouple elements each pair having an elongated hot-junction portion, said hot-junction 3 portions being arranged in relatively closely spaced and substantially parallel relation to each other, a gas burner for producing a flame directed toward said hot-junction portions, and means supported by said elements in the path or said flame for spreading the flame between each of the hot-Junction portions.

2. In a thermoelectric generating device: a tubular gas burner having an open upper end, a plurality of pairs of elongated thermocouple elements surrounding a lower portion of said burner and disposed in substantially parallel axial relation thereto, the upper end portions of said pairs of elements extending above said open end, and a member encircled by said upper end portions and having a shape suitable for spreading the burner-flame therebetween, said member being disposed in the path of the flame.

3. In a thermoelectric generating device: a tubular gas burner having an open upper end, a plurality of pairs of elongated thermocouple elements surrounding a lower portion of said burner and disposed in substantially parallel axial relation thereto, the upper end portions of said pairs of elements extending above said open end, and a member having a conical lower end supported above said open end of said burner and in axial alignment therewith for spreading the burnerflame between said upper end portions.

4. In a thermoelectric generating device, a tubular gas burner having an open upper end, a plurality of pairs of elongated thermocouple elements surrounding a lower portion of said burner and cases 4 disposed in substantially parallel axial relation thereto, the upper end portions of said pairs of elements extending above said open end, and an inverted conical member supported by said upper end portions for spreading the burner-flame therebetween.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 383,464 Gulcher May 29, 1888 535,489 Cox Mar. 12, 1895 1,952,550 Kerr Mar. 27, 1934 2,124,915 Gauger July 26, 1938 2,189,829 Wunsch et a1 Feb. 13, 1940 2,236,609 Ray Apr. 1, 1941 2,305,585 Alfery Dec. 22, 1942 2,390,578 Findley Dec. 11, 1945 

